​National Church Leaders’ Consultation (NCLC) on student fees protests in South Africa

A student protest leader, Nompendulo Mkatshwa, holds up her fists as students march through the campus of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg on Wednesday, during a demonstration against fee hikes. Credit: AFP/Getty

National church leaders and other faith leaders gathering in Johannesburg from 21-22 October 2015 at OR Tambo, for their annual meeting, issued the following statement on the student fee crisis.We the Church leaders of South Africa lament the student fee crisis engulfing the country. We believe this a national crisis. We lament that we have not discerned the signs of the times. We have failed our students and not heard their voices.We lament and strongly condemn the unnecessary use of violence and police brutality against our students and children. We call for the immediate release of all detained under these circumstances.We further lament the exclusion of the poor from our spaces of higher education and learning because of unaffordability. We recognize that the majority of these students are black and this entrenches inequality in our nation and further disadvantages many students. Our sacred texts call us to identify with the poor and marginalised. The church and faith leaders therefore have an obligation to stand in solidarity with the students on campuses, their parents and university leadership in the country. Consequently church and faith leaders have resolved t to undertake a symbolic visit to the WITS campus to express our solidarity. We are committing ourselves to creating courageous spaces where South Africans are able to listen to one another and to the voice of God. We further encourage church and faith leaders to do the same on other campuses.We call on university authorities, government and students to avoid further violent behaviour that shuts down dialogue. Only through deep dialogue, listening and courageous action will we be able to find lasting long-term solutions. We especially call on the government to provide adequate resources immediately to stabilize the situation, to enable students to write their examinations, whilst lasting solutions are being explored with all stakeholders over the next 12 months. As Church and faith leaders we commit to engage and journey with all stakeholders on this issue.We also assure the students, their parents and university leadership and government in the country of our continued prayers in this time of crisis.

***To follow the protests and news covering the events arround the university fees, you can follow the hashtag: feesmustfall on any social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) #feesmustfall